Occurrence of tubercle bacilli in urine or menstrual blood in patients at final examination before intended deletion from the dispensary register

Abstract

Routine bacteriological examination of the urine and menstrual blood was done with the intention to discover latent genito-urinary tuberculosis in persons who had been treated with chemotherapeutics because of extraurogenital tuberculosis. 1245 patients were examined. Of the patients, 972 had had pulmonary tuberculosis. 200 cases were examined between 1956 and 1958. Tubercle bacteriuria was demonstrated in 5 of them. During the following 10 years 1045 patients were examined and the urine was positive in only 3. If the total cost of the bacteriological examination during the 10-year period be spread over the 3 positive cases, it would mean that the diagnosis of each of these three cases costs 53,300 Crowns ($ 11,500). It is postulated that this money could be used better in other fields of diagnosis or treatment of tuberculosis.